


still a better love story than twilight (DISCONTINUED)

by LeaveYourMessageAfterBeep



Category: The Little Vampire 3D (2017)
Genre: ??? - Freeform, Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Crack, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Getting Together, Hemophobia, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sexual Assault, Sickfic, Twilight References, Vampires, except i do and the rules say he is, hand holding, i don't make the rules, like seriously, rudy suffers, they watch it, tony is scared of blood, vampire children can age, vampires are above homophobia!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26107021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeaveYourMessageAfterBeep/pseuds/LeaveYourMessageAfterBeep
Summary: "Humans age, humans die, get over it" Gregory rolled his eyes and leaned over the balcony in a manner that would be suicidal for any human.Rudolph narrowed his eyes, tempted to push his brother over the railing "who said anything about dying?""I did" he shrugged. "Better get used to the thought, since you know, your boyfriend is mortal."// You'd think being a teenager for three hundred years would somehow prepare him better for an inevitable teenage crush experience.
Relationships: Anton Bohnsack/Rüdiger von Schlotterstein
Comments: 92
Kudos: 149





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I watched The little vampire and holy heck, it was so gay! That's why I'm sorta surprised that the fandom is so small :(((
> 
> Since any contribution matters, here's my piece? ff? idk words are hard
> 
> enjoy and comment any mistakes, so I can fix them (I'm not a native speaker)

While vampires, obviously, don't need to breathe and tend not to waste their effort on such an unnecessary activity, Rudolph found it quite an enjoyable experience. To be more specific, he enjoyed the act of matching his breathing pattern to Tony's whenever they were hanging out.

It was something he wouldn't admit out loud, even with a knife to his neck, mostly in fear that Anna would be anywhere in the hearing distance. He'd  _ never  _ hear the end of it, for sure.

She may have laid off charming the human a (little) bit after Tony introduced her to the wonders of the internet- That didn't mean she was above teasing him mercilessly. She still wouldn't tell him what shipping was supposed to stand for in a modern language. A shame since Tony's heart rate tended to spike every time she mentioned it. 

His friend claimed that it was nothing of importance. Rudolph didn't feel all that inclined to believe him, though, after he overheard human mutter something about regretting showing her tumblr on multiple occasions.

In Rudolph's opinion, the site was... well, relatively inaccurate. At least that's what he gathered from all the times Tony would try to consult him on the vampire lore on it.

Like, seriously, some articles, blog posts or whatever word his human used for that, were plainly disturbing. It certainly didn't lack humans dressed up as vampires with varying results. There was a confusing spectrum of accuracy, decency and how many gruesome details they'd have. Some came frightfully close, though.

Tony had this theory about how they could actually be real vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires. It was a bit too complicated, for his tastes, but endearing nonetheless, like most of the things his mortal did.

Well, not strictly  _ his. _ Tony was, of course, his own, independent person. That still didn't change the fact that given an opportunity, Rudolph wouldn't hesitate to run away with him and hide the boy from the rest of the world (and Anna, in particular).

Doing that was, unfortunately, out of the question, since Tony was apparently supposed to go back to school. Which meant that he was leaving the next day. And if that wasn't bad enough, Rudolph still hadn't gathered the courage to ask whether he was going to come again another summer. Maybe the next year. Hopefully.

Regardless of what would be the answer, there was still this little voice in the back of his head- no matter how many years in a row Tony came back, he would be older every time.

While Rudolph still stayed thirteen. 

At least... under current circumstances, which were out of his control.

"Humans age, humans die, get over it" Gregory rolled his eyes as he leaned over the balcony in a manner that would be suicidal for any human.

  
  


Rudolph was seriously tempted to push his brother over the railing. Considering that he still needed his advice, he settled for narrowing his eyes in a glare "who said anything about dying?"

"I did" he shrugged. "Better get used to it, since you know, your boyfriend is mortal."

"He's not my boyfriend!" the leftover blood from breakfast started boiling in his veins, rushing to his face at an alarming rate "what- where did you even get that idea?!"

Out of all the people he knew (which admittedly wasn't that much), only Gregory would be able to pull off this particular mix of surprise and being thoroughly unimpressed so flawlessly.

"You hold hands all the time" he pointed out.

Rudolph knew he was starting to get defensive about the issue "well, he can't fly on his own!"

The last thing he would want to happen was Tony somehow finding out about his little- let's call it infatuation (which, yeah, was probably an understatement). The last time he had checked, the human society wasn't too accepting of such preferences. Vampires couldn't have children, anyway, so since the beginning, it was agreed upon for them to just love who they chose to.

Granted, the last time he actually checked up on humanity's opinion was in the fifties, but he doubted it would do one eighty degrees turn in... sixty? Seventy years? Didn't matter, just while he wasn't really paying attention.

"You  _ do  _ realize you hold hands on the ground too, right?" his brother raised his brows in an exasperated manner. Then, he proceeded to roll his eyes at Rudolph's incoherent sputtering. "Why are you even talking about this with me? Anna would be all for gossiping about that human."

Finally, after regaining his composure, Rudolph decided to turn his back on Gregory in what he hoped was the most dramatic way. Ignoring the older vampire's snickering, he slid down the roof in the familiar direction of Tony's window.

He might have as well made the most of the mortal's last night at  _ The Bed and Bratwurst _ . It was going to get so goddamn boring again without him there. There'd be only Rudolph's family which was just that- boring at best and downright annoying at worst.

When he told Tony about this, the mortal only laughed heartily, saying that Rudolph would probably get bored of him too, if they spent all the time together. The vampire didn't think it was necessarily the case. Tony was, after all, way too fascinating, surprising him with something new over and over again. Spending eternity with him would be-

He abruptly cut that train of thought and slid through the window into their shared room. The boy was focused on packing his bags and had yet to notice him. Rudolph took that as an opportunity to commit the human's face to the memory, just in case his friend didn't come back the next year.

Of course, there wouldn't be nearly enough time for him to mentally map the exact pattern of Tony's freckles, but Rudolph was determined to try. He had already mastered the art of sneakily staring while the other boy wasn't looking. Which actually sounded a little bit creepy, now that he thought about it. Well, he was a vampire. If that didn't give him some right to be at least a little creepy, then he didn't know what would.

He eyed the mortal and wondered idly if hiding mortal would stop or, at least, delay his departure. If not, then maybe throwing it into the lake would be enough.

Finally, Tony looked up and jumped slightly in surprise "Rudolph? How long have you been standing there- or more like floating... are you touching the ground? I can't really tell from here."

  
  


"How are you  _ this _ unaware of your surroundings in a castle full of vampires? It's like you're asking to become a snack" he teased, flying closer and hovering mere inches from the boy, above the mess of clothes and other mortal necessities.

  
  


Tony grinned "as if you'd let that happen," he set aside a pile of clothes he was holding and sat on the bed. Rudolph felt the mortal's undivided attention on him, which admittedly made his cold, dead body feel a little warmer.

  
  


"Of course I wouldn't" with a cocky smirk, he moved even closer to Tony. "I don't share," he said, doing his best to imitate Anna's charming voice.

  
  


He couldn't put someone under a spell if it was to save his life, but at least he sounded cool. 

It seemed like the human caught on that Rudolph was only half-joking because his eyes widened comically and an audible, hasty intake od breath echoed in the room.

Having lost his wits, Tony was struggling with a response, opening and closing his mouth several times. Rudolph felt almost unreasonably proud of the effect his teasing caused. He had little to no idea what to say now, though. Honestly, he didn't count on the human forgetting how to speak out of sudden.

He remembered what Gregory said to him earlier that evening. Was Tony aware of the fact that their hand-holding didn't stop once they were back on the ground? Was he so used to it, that he didn't even notice?

  
  


For the sake of getting an answer and not going crazy with questions, he landed in front of Tony and grabbed his hands. He couldn't quite get over how warm they always were. It was somewhat addicting, having access to this borrowed warmth.

The human must have gone into shock because he just let Rudolph hold both of his hands with an only mildly confused expression. So they stayed this way, awkwardly holding hands for no particular reason (except science) until Tony decided to speak up at last "so, what exactly are we doing?"

"I'd assume we're holding hands, mortal" for the sake of clarity, he swung their hands back and forth. "I'm checking something me and Gregory talked about." 

Tony stared at him dubiously, probably debating how to phrase his next question "okay- do I wanna know in what context did you..." he trailed off. The meaning was pretty clear.

He bit his lips, not sure how much to say about his doubts without sounding overly clingy. Ultimately, he decided that changing the subject would be the best tactic.

"How opposed would you be to Anna charming your parents into staying in Germany?" he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. Which- yeah, talk about being obvious.

"I have no idea whether you're being serious right now," Tony said, so genuinely that Rudolph couldn't help but think it was adorable.

Fair enough, "honestly, neither do I?"

To his credit, the human hummed and tapped his chin thoughtfully " I don't think it would work. Since they have jobs back home and we don't really know the language."

Rudolph lowered his head and glared at his heavy boots "I could teach you..." of course Tony wouldn't want to stay with him. What was he even thinking, he might have as well confessed then and there.

Unexpectedly, Tony squeezed his hands and got up, so that they were standing face to face, noses almost touching "I'll be back next year, I promise. I can- I don't know, maybe I can even convince my parents to let me spend all summer here!"

"You'd want to?" it seemed too good to be true, but Rudolphs traitorous, undead heart was squeezed with hope.

"I don't want to leave-" he paused, " I don't want to leave you at all" he finished, the embarrassed flush creeping up his cheeks and ears. Then, the mortal seemed to brace himself "saving your clan was scary at times, but I had the time of my life with you. You're like, the coolest person I've ever met!"

The thing is, human heart speeds up when they're lying. Tony's heart was racing for a while now, though, and it was impossible to tell. The only thing left to do was trusting the mortal, whose face was scrunched up in sincerity and determination.

And Rudolph probably couldn't resist that face. Wouldn't even want to.

  
  


So honesty was his only option here "well, you're the best thing that happened to me in the last hundred years-" he didn't get to add  _ at least _ . Even though he was pretty sure it was a once in a lifetime sort of thing. He didn't expect the hug but welcomed it readily, closing his fists around the fabric of Tony's hoodie, careful not to use too much vampiric strength. He buried his face in the human's shoulder, what he deemed was safe enough distance from his neck- "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too" Tony burrowed his face in Rudolph's own neck, who distantly noticed how it tickled. "I'll visit for the winter break, okay? Long nights, short days. Plenty of time to hang out" he mumbled, his breath warming the vampire's cold skin. 

The hope that the mortal felt something for him as well was slowly but steadily leaking into his heart. He resolved to test the waters as much as possible. While he could, at least.

He nodded slightly, before backing away and once again taking Tony's hand, this time even more dedicated to upping his game. He deliberately intertwined their fingers and smiled fondly at the boy "let's go flying."

"Ah, so plan B involves kidnapping me? Real creative, vampire" he started laughing in this specific way that made his whole face light up, like the memory of a sunrise that Rudolph still had somewhere in the back of his mind. 

A pretty solid idea made its way into his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As my dear friend said "omg Tony has f(beep) up bio clock, I feel for u bro"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry but this one is completely unedited, I just ran it through grammarly to catch any error I made as a non-native speaker 😳
> 
> I wrote it instead of paying attention in AP math, I regret nothing and simultaneously, I regret everything
> 
> Please take time to say hi to my friend Charlie in the comments, since she's my main writing motivation most of the time, she's awesome 
> 
> (if you have any suggestions on how I could improve my writing, feel free to comment them too, just be gentle ^^')

His hands stung from the crescent-shaped nail marks along his skin. He was relying purely on pinching induced adrenaline to keep himself awake and somehow beat the weariness seeping through his muscles deep into his bones. 

Tony knew two things for sure. His teacher had a really monotonous voice that could lull anyone to sleep and hanging out with vampires for the majority of his summer definitely messed up his sleep schedule. 

He swallowed against the yawn and blinked several times, willing his eyes into focus. The lesson itself wasn't really that boring but he definitely needed all the help in this class he could get and the overwhelming exhaustion did not help. 

Glancing at the clock, he wondered what time was in Germany right now. He could probably do the math, but his brain might have as well been made of cotton. 

Maybe if he slept after school a bit and studied after dark, the transition from being basically nocturnal would be easier. 

Everyone in the classroom seemed to be getting equally impatient. It was somewhat comforting that he wasn't the only one who had trouble adjusting to being back in school. 

The slightly sluggish feeling persisted until late afternoon when the combined effort of coffee and his internal clock brought him back into full awareness. 

He contemplated writing another letter to Rudolph, though waiting for the response would probably be better. It's been a while since he used a traditional post, probably three years, give or take. He recalled having a school-inforced pen pal from Canada back then. It was a rather nice girl named Emma.

They still sent each other some memes from time to time and he followed her instagram. She posted a lot of pictures with her girlfriend, they were pretty cute together. 

Tony wondered whether Rudolph would be visible in photos since in the last article he read it was said that vampires didn't show in mirrors and old fashioned photographs because they were lined with silver. Apparently, it was a holy metal or it was blessed in the middle ages. Whatever. 

Rudolph said it'd make sense, but they didn't have time to investigate further. They'd have to check it out on winter break because Tony would love to have some pictures together. 

Having a picture of Rudolph would be a pretty cool thing in general and not only because it'd be a picture of a vampire. 

They say to never meet your idols or something along those lines. To be honest, his interest in vampires did more or less end on the adventure out of his comic books. Which actually meant that it shifted onto one specific vampire, who in Tony's opinion was more captivating than the whole species put together. 

Though, having a crush did make him less objective. He didn't have to be in the first place, anyway. So sue him, his best friend was totally cooler than any Dracula or Nosferatu. Definitely more attractive, if the movies were valid comparisons. 

They probably weren't, he thought as he glanced over the movie posters hanging in his room. Before they somehow lined up with his expectations, but now he was well aware that they were unrealistic. 

When he'd shown Anna Tumblr and how humanity portrayed vampires in pop culture, she was absolutely delighted. Though, leaving her all alone with the computer was probably a mistake. It was a bit terrifying, how quickly she got the hang of how the technology worked. 

He hardly went out of the room, just to check whether Rudolph was sure he didn't want to participate (his friend chose to sulk and mutter something about stupid girls) and when he came back, Anna was already well informed on the topic of shipping. She probably clicked into trending tags. 

His computer was currently displaying a fanart from a show he never really got around to watching. He'd have to find the time since it apparently had some pretty decent representation, at which Anna was currently staring in badly concealed interest. 

"Mortals don't mind it anymore?" she asked, still squinting at the obviously gay ship. She didn't seem to mind it herself, though, which was sort of surprising, considering the era from which she came from.

Maybe vampires were above homophobia or something. It would be so cool. 

He brushed his fingers through his hair nervously, not sure how to answer "I mean- there are some assholes, I guess? But in some countries we can even get married now" he rambled on. 

Anna listened patiently to his awkward explanation and smirked at the very end of it " _ we _ ?"

Now that he looked back on it, his first coming out went rather well, even if it was accidental and very, very embarrassing. 

It worked well in deterring any further advances and charms from her, but with his secret literally  _ out _ , he discovered that Anna was much more clever than it was safe for his dignity. 

The exact moment in which realization dawned on her was easy to remember. It was more than concerning when she smiled and flippantly said that if he  _ had _ to pick one of her brothers, Gregory was a better choice. Tony begged to differ, but at least she was supportive. In a way. 

He briefly considered messaging her to ask whether Rudolph had gotten his letter yet, but he didn't really trust her with being the messenger. Who knew what was going on inside her head. 

Emma would probably laugh at him, saying that he was waiting for the letter like a maiden whose lover had gone to war. 

And he would, of course, deny the statement. Personally, he felt like someone waiting for a package from Amazon, except that he wasn't given the date of arrival, only a vague time frame. Like the ones that say  _ your package will arrive between 1st of August and 30th of October.  _

Stupid international shipping that got him to perk up every time he heard the doorbell. 

Though, laziness was the main trait of his generation, so he wasn't going to get up for a possible false alarm. He still had his pride. 

Which he gladly set aside the second his mom called him downstairs to get his mail. 

It was early evening, barely after dusk, which should have been his first clue. The other would be the fact Dottie's voice had this slightly shocked tilt to it. 

The third clue, which might as well have been a billboard decorated in christmas lights, or just something equally impossible to miss, was Rudolph standing on his front porch. 

Was he tired enough to start hallucinating? 

He stood there, frozen and squinting at the vampire, as if that would help him determine whether he was real. His best friend also made no move, anxiously fidgeting in place. 

It was his mom who finally decided to cut through the thick tension in the room. 

"Tony, why don't you show Rudolph your room?" okay, so he was really here and Tony wasn't going crazy. Then, she paused as if realizing that the teenager she just invited in lived on the completely another continent, "do your parents know you're here, dear?"

Rudolph shrugged and smiled sheepishly "they probably have realized by now?"

If his mom was surprised by that, she didn't show it, just nodded as if that explained any questions she could have. Tony knew his mom liked Rudolph. She thought he was a well mannered and charming boy. She was probably just glad that he had a friend, but he liked to think the vampire had his own graceful presence that, unlike Anna's, had nothing to do with a spell. 

He grabbed Rudolph's hand, willing the motion to seem as casual as possible, and led him upstairs to his room, suddenly very unconscious of all the vampire-related decor he had been investing in for years now. 

Ultimately, worrying about it was more or less pointless, partly because Rudolph didn't seem like a very judgemental person and partly because there was absolutely nothing he could do about it now. 

What he could do, however, and what he absolutely _ had  _ to do, was hugging the heck out of his friend. 

That was exactly what he did, turning out of sudden and wrapping arms around still floating Rudolph's waist. The other boy chuckled and lowered himself to the ground, so that he could comfortably hug back. 

"And here I was almost worried you're not happy to see me" the vampire joked with that ever-present hint of teasing in his voice. 

Tony smiled into his neck and distantly thought about how it felt as if they didn't see each other for way longer than only one week.

"Wait, " he leaned back, schooling his face into playful suspicion, "how did you even get there?"

If someone cured cancer and solved world hunger in one moment, they probably still wouldn't look as proud of themselves as Rudolph did "I may have used the fact that Gregory was itching to go all lone wolf again?" He seemed to be looking for a word, "he acted as my legal guardian or something?"

Which basically translated to _ my brother and I ran away from home and left Anna to deal with the consequences.  _ It was truly a plan worthy of a thirteen year old boy. Not that Tony would come up with anything better. 

Details didn't really matter when he could hang out with his best friend, slash crush, without a deadline hovering over their heads. He really hoped that Rudolph had thought this through, though, because his closet at home- well, it was full of clothes and generally not the best place to sleep in. 

Just thinking about sleeping made him yawn, which in turn made Rudolph point out that he looked even more dead than  _ he  _ was. 

So he proceeded to explain how this summer basically turned him nocturnal. The vampire had the audacity to laugh about it. 

"Dude, don't laugh, you made me insomniac!" he squinted at Rudolph, who didn't look apologetic at all and was still snickering "I'm serious, you gotta take the responsibility."

"Fine, I'm taking the responsibility, what do you want me to do?"

"Not saying, not making it easy for you"

Rudolph rolled his eyes and then shook his head in, what Tony hoped was, fondness "are all mortals this strange, or are you just special?"

Well, that was- The whole conversation, actually, was definitely bordering on if not crossing the line of flirting. Which, while somewhat unexpected, definitely wasn't unwelcome. 

Ultimately, there was no reason to stress, since the interaction seemed pretty mutual. That is, if Rudolph knew they were flirting. How did even vampire flirting work? Was it like courting three hundred years ago, when his friend's family was still mortal? 

God damn it, he was only thirteen and his love life was already so complicated. If there was any love life, to begin with, of course... 

The vampire was currently sitting next to him on the bed, knees, and shoulders touching as he peered curiously over Tony's homework. He wasn't much of a help, unfortunately, but at least he provided mental support. And yeah, that, to be honest, could as well count as a distraction. Both from studying and steady waves of exhaustion. 

He remembered a whole lot more from this little study session later than he would have thought, though. It was way easier to recall explaining material than just reading it. 

And it was kinda cute how Rudolph was both surprised and excited with scientific discoveries he missed "wait, are you trying to tell me people went to space?!" he turned so abruptly that Tony's science textbook took its own space flight. To the floor, actually. Not space. Bad metaphor, probably. 

He was clutching Tony's hands with slightly too much force and his eyes were sparkling. Anyone who said thirteen is too young to fall in love was a big fat liar. 

"I- uh," he stuttered and scanned his eyes over the room until they landed on his old beat-up laptop. "Yeah, we could watch the moon landing? Or some videos that Curiosity recorded on Mars?"

Having received a nod, one tinted with disbelief, he got up faster than necessary and basically leaped at his desk. It was somewhat a miracle that he didn't fall over with how tired he's been the whole day. 

It'd be probably for the best to go chronologically and to leave the conspiracy theories out... for now. Watching his reaction to that would be too funny to skip on. 

He settled back in his place on the bed, even closer to Rudolph under the pretense of adjusting the screen so that they both could see it.

After finding a youtube video with audio that didn't sound like it was recorded on the lovechild of a toaster and retired microwave, he turned off the mouse and leaned back, closing his eyes for a minute. He fell asleep to the feeling of cold fingers closing around his and dreamed of flying. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hungry Rudolph and me anxiously threading the line between what's appropriate for their age

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one, but necessary for what I have planned ;)
> 
> The rest of the chapters will probably happen after various time skips, because ngl, writing a serious, committed relationship for thirteen year olds would feel kinda weird
> 
> As per usual, all comments are welcome, and if you have any suggestions on how I could improve my writing, they're appreciated as long as you stay civil 
> 
> Love ya

Reflecting on it later, he would probably wonder how on earth he managed to not plan on where he'd get the blood from. Not to mention he only realized it two days into his stay at the Thompson household.

Actually, he didn't plan much at all, at least beyond arriving at the address he had copied neatly from Tony's letter. Luckily enough, so far, they've managed pretty well to figure things out as they went. The matter of his diet was- well, saying that it was complicated would be an understatement at best.

Having woken up by the scratchy feeling of hunger, he stared at the ceiling, wondering how long he had slept. Maybe long enough that Tony would be, hopefully, done with school soon.

After the first morning, which admittedly turned out to be pretty awkward, they've decided to align their sleeping schedules only partly. That left Rudolph sleeping mostly as the mortal was out. He had to admit that waking up while it was still bright outside was definitely going to take some getting used to. He could almost never tell what time it was.

Going back to sleep was still more or less on the table, but the beginnings of hunger gnawing on his insides were proving to be quite distracting. Soon, it would start to feel as if his veins were filled with sand. 

He sighed and winced as he sat up- yeah, it was a wonder he didn't notice the telltale signs sooner. 

Tony's arrival was timed perfectly, the door swinging open with a bang just as Rudolph was getting impatient.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," he tossed his bag carelessly somewhere in the corner and proceeded to face plant into the empty spot on the bed.

He awkwardly patted the mortal's arm, still not understanding what the nickname was supposed to be referring to, but not willing to admit it.

"uh, so... how was your school?"

The human raised his head and looked at him, indignation clear in his expression, "don't ask that, you sound like a parent. Answering your question, though, I'm pretty sure your day of sleeping was more eventful than mine at school."

"You're being overdramatic," Rudolph pointed out, not unkindly and grabbed Tony's hand, craving some warmth it was sure to provide. 

He was answered with an unexpected, full-body shiver, "dude, your hand is freezing! When was the last time you had something to eat?"

How the statement and the question that followed were related, he had no idea. Tony proved that he was extremely observant countless times by now, though, so Rudolph wasn't exactly surprised by how quickly the mortal figured out his condition.

Mentally glaring at his skin (was it really  _ that  _ cold?), he shrugged, "it's been long enough, I suppose."

"So why don't you just, you know-" Tony badly imitated biting motion with his fingers, "get a snack?"

Battling his own pride for a while, Rudolph finally looked down in embarrassment, "I don't really know where..."

Tony stared at him for a while, probably very unimpressed and just... got up to reach for his computer "well then, let's see where's the nearest blood bank. They probably won't notice one or two bags missing."

"A what?" to be perfectly clear, even on a good day, he would have a hard time following what his friend was talking about. Now, most of his brain capacity was consumed by trying to ignore the soft and steady background noise of the blood pumping through the human's veins.

"Blood bank? You know the place where people donate their blood for transfusion-" Tony started explaining, only half paying attention to Rudolph. It thankfully caused him to miss the meltdown the vampire was going through.

The question about why people would give away their blood died on his lips the second he opened them. Rudolph immediately bit back the recently developed habit of breathing to reduce his sense of smell. It didn't help much, because the smell of the room's owner enveloped every surface in the room and burned itself in every possession.

He didn't think his senses were  _ this _ overwhelmed the first time he met Tony, and it had been after not eating for a while, too. Possibly it was the prolonged exposure that made his blood so enticing. Maybe it was just the fact that it was  _ Tony's.  _ Both options were equally probable. 

Not that he would ever attack Tony, but he still didn't like his instincts telling him to do so. Even if his blood could possibly be the best thing he's ever- No, he was definitely not going down that specific rabbit hole. 

"I don't think human blood is a good idea. My father will definitely not be pleased if I come home older," he choked out, barely registering what was he saying. 

Tony's confused stare worked well enough in shaking him out of his thoughts "older? You guys can age?"

"Not really age per se- it only works on underage vampires? When we were first turned, Gregory was about my age, I think..." he trailed off. 

His brother went off on his own many times, varying from a few weeks to a few years. The first time he left, he came back older and spent hours locked in a screaming match with their father. 

No one really talked about it afterward, at least not around Rudolph. In fact, father didn't talk to his now-eldest son at all for a long time after their fight, but whenever Gregory got bored with animal blood, he would leave again. Rudolph didn't remember him ever coming back older after the first time, so he probably reached maturity back then. 

When asked about it, his aunt said something about them being turned while still growing and their bodies trying to make up for interrupted development. It sounded rational enough. 

Beyond the annoyance at staying thirteen forever, that sparked up every year around his birthday... he never really thought about the possibility of choosing to grow older seriously. Even if it resided in the back of his mind most of the time. Now, explaining the process as best as he could to his mortal friend, it got violently pushed to the front. 

"And you never wanted to?" Tony asked, seemingly oblivious to the way they gravitated to each other during the conversation. 

Rudolph suddenly thought up a vision of his friend, eighteen, with a girlfriend and him still forever thirteen. Maybe it was time to take the risk "didn't have a reason to, until now."

Reflecting on it later, he would realize that it was the risk definitely worth taking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when puberty hits you like a train of hormones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly have no idea what happened here  
> Does Tony have bday on Halloween? probably not,  
> Does my browsing history now contain a very awkward proof of research on male puberty? hell yeah
> 
> What's going on, please tell me
> 
> happy bisexual visibility week!

Two months into his new diet, it was probably safe to say that a sudden age up wasn't going to happen. The change seemed to be more gradual, like resuming the puberty that was on hold for the last few centuries. A time definitely long enough for him to forget quite how uncomfortable it could be. Honestly, he felt more than unprepared for the whole ordeal, feeling helpless as he lost the familiarity of a body that remained unchanged for the majority of his existence. It was like being an intruder in his own skin, in a way.

However, the changes were also oddly refreshing and comforting in how they paralleled what was happening to Tony as well. Well, mostly. Some he  _ really  _ didn’t feel like asking about. Especially since his mind decided to rebel against him and steadily began finding all the thinks Rudolph wanted to ask  _ for. _ Ones that he obviously wouldn’t. Shouldn’t.

Obviously, he was distantly aware that crushes usually didn’t end at wanting to hold hands. But to have his feelings exceed an innocent infatuation? Now, that was a mortifying turn of events. He found himself wanting more. Much more than he would ever deserve- there was this recurring wonder in the back of his head, whether one day he would want it all. Because, without a doubt, he wouldn’t hesitate to give all he had, all he was in return.

Being around his best friend proved to be a test of his self-control at its finest. He never had any troubles controlling himself, but then again, he never thought about someone’s neck in suck a different context than he was used to. It wasn’t uncommon for him to catch himself daydreaming about Tony, but he couldn’t bring himself to fight it.

Besides, it’s not as if he hadn’t stared at his best friend a lot before, too. It’s more that he was beginning to realize just how many details he didn’t notice and appreciate enough. 

“I can feel you staring,” Tony didn’t look up from the pumpkin he was carving, which Rudolph was endlessly glad for. The awkward and clumsy way he operated the knife was already giving the vampire more than enough anxiety.

He flushed- something that seemed to occur more and easier with, somehow more filling and sustaining, human blood flowing in his veins, “I’m making sure you don’t stab yourself. You have no idea how nervewracking keeping you alive can be.”

“Sure it is,” Tony agreed lightly, in a voice that suggested he was humoring him. “Though, I  _ did  _ manage almost fourteen years without a supernatural bodyguard,” he laughed, unconsciously yet again dragging Rudolph’s attention to that one word and thus, distracting him from making any decent comeback.

A  _ happy birthday  _ banner, waiting to be put up, with its supposedly spooky font ("I was born on  _ Halloween _ , that's not an opportunity you miss, Rudolph!) was glaring at him. He idly wondered whether he was fourteen yet.

Apparently, he said so aloud, since Tony answered him, only half paying attention because he was adorably focused on his task.

“I think so? You actually seem to age a bit faster than I do. You already look older than me- OW!” he yelped, paradoxically  _ before _ the knife cut his skin. 

From what he read in his friend’s textbooks, the time couldn’t physically stop nor slow down, but Rudolph sure felt like it did. They both stared at the wound in horror, which would normally be disproportional to the situation. However, two very important factors made the situation anything but normal. Whatever normal meant for them.

One, while Tony wasn’t exactly the most careful person, he had never really gotten hurt enough to bleed around Rudolph. Neither of them knew how the vampire would react. The other thing was left unsaid so far, but he was pretty sure that his mortal friend was afraid of blood, even if he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t have to, with the way he visibly paled every time Rudolph drank around him or how he covered his eyes whenever someone got injured in a movie.

It was even apparent in the slight trembling in his hands and faint expression. 

Ignoring the sweet aroma of iron in the air, Rudolph forced himself out of the trance and came closer to his friend. “Tony- Tony, look at me. I need you to tell me where do you keep…” he paused, trying to remember the word he heard Dottie use, “the first aid kit, okay?”

The human blinked a few times as if trying to shake off the glassy look in his eyes. It took him a minute to focus enough to answer, “Um- in the bathroom. I don’t think I can- I’m kinda dizzy,” he mumbled.

“That’s okay.” He hoisted Tony up and did his best to push every single one of his instincts back. “Is this alright?” he asked, mostly for his own peace of mind. The only answer he got was a nod into his neck, but hey- at least his friend hasn’t fainted yet.

As it turned out, the  _ yet  _ was unnecessary because Tony stubbornly held onto his consciousness all the way through the process of cleaning the cut. However, he kept his eyes firmly trained on Rudolph’s face, sitting motionless on the edge of the bathtub. The wound itself was probably deep enough to scar, but thankfully there was no need for stitches. The universe must have taken mercy on him since the bleeding stopped way sooner than it should have, in turn also lessening his suffering. His jaw was starting to hurt from how hard he’d been clenching his teeth. 

He still had to actively ignore the stark red against the white towels, now haphazardly thrown across the bathroom floor, but it required less effort on his part. Mostly because he was busy being concerned with Tony, who started giggling uncontrollably. He didn’t lose that much blood… right?

“Sorry, sorry,” he choked out in between the giggles. “It’s just that- between us two, the  _ vampire  _ was more level-headed about treating an open wound. What is even my life, oh my god.” He started laughing even harder, somehow falling back into the bathtub.

Rudolph leaped to grab his arms before the human hit his head or something worse happened.

“Please, no more injuries. I have no idea how to treat a concussion,” he pleaded, now hovering over his friend, who was awkwardly laying in the tub. Stricken with a realization of how close their faces were, he took a shaky breath, too absorbed with the situation for the smell of blood to even affect him.

Regardless of whether it came as a surprise, even if he spent more time on this earth than most, Rudolph had never had his first kiss. Mind you, that was for good reasons. While more alive than now, he was expected to kiss girls, which was very much  _ not _ his cup of tea. After that, he didn’t really find anyone particularly kissable. At least, not until Tony.

Tony, who was looking at him with wide blue eyes, most likely having just realized their position. His heartbeat was drumming in Rudolph’s ears and he was acutely aware of the overwhelming the warmth where he was still clutching the other boy’s arms. He licked his lips nervously, distantly registering how his friend’s gaze briefly slipped down to follow the motion, before he hesitantly raised his hand to grab at the vampire’s shirt.

It wasn’t clear, how much time has passed before any of them moved, but at some point, he started leaning down and Tony propped himself up on one arm-

And proceeded to hit the faucet with his head, turning the showerhead on.

Their surprised screeches echoed against bathroom tiles and, honestly, he lived long- really, really long. Yet, he had never experienced a moment more anticlimatic than this one. He was on the floor, where he had fallen on his ass when he tried to get away from the cold water. Tony was still miserably sitting under the spray, getting more drenched with every passing second.

The human groaned, “just kill me now, I don’t care how you do it, just put me out o my misery.” He tried to get up, wincing as his injured hand slipped against the edge of the bathtub. Ultimately, he managed to turn the water off and get out, dripping water all over the floor. He pointedly avoided looking at both bloodied towels and Rudolph. “I’m going to clean up in the kitchen.”

He hurried out, a trail of water drops following each one of his steps. The vampire was left alone, stunned, and trying to make sense of what had just happened. Either he was delusional or he and Tony almost kissed. 

He was definitely delusional.


	5. filler, mostly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sort of a filler, probably another decline in quality of my writing (and my grades)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a horrible lovechild of procrastination and my lack of knowledge about American culture
> 
> I watched twilight for this, have mercy on me
> 
> why are all my ocs female? because women are queens and I love them very much

The kitchen was way too clean. Besides throwing out whatever was left of the pumpkin, there wasn’t much he had to do. It would be a good thing if he wasn’t determined to ignore his embarrassment by keeping himself busy. He considered going up and changing clothes since the ones he was wearing were steadily dripping onto the floor. That would put him way too close to the inevitable confrontation with his best friend, one he was in no way ready for.

He had almost kissed Rudolph, which- yeah, seemed like a pretty unadvisable move in the long run. Yet, he was also mad at himself for ruining the moment, even if logically, it was for the best. Sure, there was a good chance that the vampire felt the same, with how his eyes followed Tony like something he never wanted to lose sight of, but ultimately, Tony knew that neither of them was ready whatever change in their dynamic would follow the kiss.

Even if he sort of wanted it to happen, against his better judgment.

Forcibly dismissing the thought, he glanced at the clock. Soon enough first trick-or-treaters would start to go around. Hopefully one of his parents would get back home to man the door before the best candy was given out. Fourteen was perhaps a bit too old to go trick or treating himself, but he really wanted to give Rudolph full Halloween experience, if possible. Unfortunately, the vampire adamantly refused for them to get matching costumes. Well, it’s not as if he needed a costume in the first place, to be honest.

They really needed to get him some more clothes, his one and only outfit looked like Hot Topic incarnated. It was a bit unfair that he still pulled it off so well, but it wasn’t much of a surprise. After all, he somehow managed to maintain his ever-present grace through the growth spurts while Tony was left to awkwardly fumble with too-long limbs. And it wasn’t because of the flying, either, because even then his balance was off. Not enough to cause him actual trouble, but definitely more than enough to make him clumsier than usual.

The hand on his shoulder startled him more than it should have. He turned around violently, almost slipping and falling on his face. Wouldn’t be the first time he injured himself that night, would it? He and the floor weren’t meant to be, though, because the hand on his shoulder steadied him and prevented the fall.

“I have no idea how you managed the past fourteen years.” Rudolph huffed out an exasperated breath. “I brought you a change of clothes, you’ll get sick in… this,” he said, vaguely gesturing towards the drenched disaster of an outfit. 

"Thanks." So they were talking normally. Cool. Awesome. Could totally work with that, he decided as absently started changing his clothes right where he stood. There was a choke up sound in the background, but he was too busy appreciating that his underwear remained blissfully dry to pay attention.

When finished, infinitely happy to feel warm, he looked at Rudolph. He would have probably asked about the funny expression his friend was making, but the doorbell didn’t give him a chance. He internally shrugged and grabbed the bowl with candy on his way to the door.

Two months might seem like enough time to learn the names of his classmates, but Tony still wasn’t sure whether the girl sitting behind him on the chemistry was named Chloe or Cleo. Didn’t really matter, anyway. 

Chloe slash Cleo was standing on his front porch in knock-off Harley Quinn costume with a young boy clutching at her hand. Her brother, most likely. “Tony! Not wearing your costume yet?” she asked.

“Ah, no,” he lowered the bowl, letting the boy choose which candy he wanted. “I’m taking my… uh, my friend from Europe is visiting and he’s never been trick or treating before- I’m taking him later, so I guess I’ll change then” he smiled sheepishly.

She looked into the house over his shoulder “is your  _ friend _ already dressed or just emo?”

  
  


Rudolph was apparently standing (not floating, thank god) behind him “I’m  _ not  _ emo.” He probably didn’t even know what that meant, what a dork.

Suddenly he felt cold fingers intertwining with his. He glanced a the vampire, who was glaring daggers in Chloe/Cleo’s direction. Holy- Was he jealous? Tony felt like laughing and it seemed so did his classmate. She didn’t appear surprised at all and he couldn’t decide whether he’d prefer her to be.

“Leah, can we go?” the boy tugged at her sleeve and the girl, whose name turned out to be neither Chloe nor Cleo gave them an apologetic smile before walking away.

He pushed the door close with his foot since one of his hands was holding the candy and the other was the one being  _ held _ . There was not much left to do until one of his parents comes back and takes over distributing sweets. He could probably pick something to watch from the ever-growing list of movies and tv shows to show Rudolph, but he felt extra mischievous tonight. Oh, they were going to watch a movie alright.

Three minutes into the movie, Rudolph looked confused, looking between the screen and Tony as if trying to figure out why are they watching something so different from the usual, why the characters were so painfully awkward.

“Why is everyone so pale?” was the first actual question. Tony only grinned, basking in the knowledge that the movie was only gonna get worse. There was no doubt here, Twilight was bound to traumatize his friend, “they all look like they don’t want to be there.”

“Shh, just keep watching” he knocked their shoulders together and kicked his legs onto Rudolph’s lap. When Edward appeared for the first time, he snickered “you have the same hairstyle.”

The vampire obviously had little to no idea what was happening and was very unimpressed. Tony, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, witnessing his friend’s suffering. And it was only the beginning.

When Bella’s research left no doubts, Rudolph just stared at him for at least a minute, looking so disappointed, like he was regretting every single choice that led him to this particular moment “why are you doing this to me?”

He lasted until Edward started sparkling like an artwork of a particularly creative kindergarten student with a penchant for glitter. Then, he shot Tony a look of pure betrayal, got up and floated out of the room in a dramatic display of anguish.

Now that was a birthday he wouldn’t forget in a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rudy can't sleep™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this chapter was originally around 3k words, but I split it. I promised myself that I wouldn't do classic   
> '***'  
> to change the setting/time and I couldn't figure out a way to connect the two parts in a way that would satisfy me!
> 
> Well, that means you get an early chapter, I suppose
> 
> Have fun and ily! <3

Not that long ago, Rudolph's anxiety would go through the roof at the mere possibility of Tony moving on with his life and forgetting all about him, about their friendship. After all, growing up often meant letting go of childish hobbies- he was pretty sure that applied to chasing after vampires, in societal norms, at least. 

(Getting hung up this way on the first real friend he had, was, after all, a perfectly rational thing for Rudolph to do, even if falling hopelessly in love with him was certainly not.)

Now, however, he was standing barefoot in front of a mirror, which, curiously enough, reflected him. Probably thanks to the lack of silver used in its production. The bathroom felt strangely cold, at least in comparison to their- that was, to Tony's bedroom, of course. Usually, the changes people go through when growing up happen so gradually that they don't really notice them unless they got pointed out. He missed on that privilege, being acutely aware of every inch he grew and every sharp edge his face suddenly acquired.

It was only a matter of time before he caught up with Gregory, agewise. The thought was as amusing as it was unsettling, but it wasn't even near the top of his list of concerns. Flying back to Germany for Tony's winter break, a shadow to the promise they had made last summer, on the other hand, was climbing higher and higher on that list. 

He was going to see his family. While, undeniably, looking older. Being older, actually.

His father being furious, was a rather funny event to witness, worse to experience. Not because he was scared, mind you. You tend to get over that kind of fear after so many lectures through the years. Being at the receiving end of Frederick Sackville-Bagg’s infamous screaming marathon was just- well, it incredibly tiring, with how repetitive they got after a while. His mom would be happy to see him, though.

Whether she would stay happy after she learned that he planned on leaving once again the next fall after Tony came for the summer... that was up for debate. 

On the bright side, Gregory's first solo adventure lasted over a decade, so it would be hard for Rudolph to beat that legendary disappointment. Speaking of his brother, would he be coming home soon as well? He hadn't heard from him since early September. Chances were, he wouldn't in at least a year, too.

It was hard to be the rebellious child in his family. Though, Rudolph was most likely going to give Gregory a run for his money, with the whole being in love with a mortal thing going on.

But, staying realistic, there was no point in worrying about it in advance. There wasn't much that could be done to change it, after all. It wasn't like he could just fall out of love, right? He would sooner get younger than stop caring for Tony, he thought, taking one last look at the mirror before leaving the bathroom. He flew through the hallway, feeling strangely sluggish. 

It was slightly off-putting, how quiet and serene the house was at this hour. Even Tony was sleeping and, in fact, he usually would be too. For some unknown and mysterious reason, he just couldn't tonight.

Instead, he had just glared at Tony's bed through the cracks in his coffin until he gave up and left to the bathroom.

He wasn't sure whether sleep would continue to evade him for the rest of the night. Maybe, just maybe he would slip under the surface of consciousness if he tried hard enough to ignore that this time tomorrow he would be home.

It's not that he didn't miss his family, because he did. Somehow, and it bewildered him, not gonna lie, he even missed Anna a little. Though, on the second thought, that little satan’s spawn probably couldn’t wait until she’d be able to test a whole new repertoire of attraction spells on Tony… 

But the idea of coming back and settling who he was now into the spot he left empty months before- it internally knocked him off his balance. He knew that he would surely, regardless of his parents’ opinion, come back the next year. Yet, he didn't want to abandon his current routine.

However, there was no turning back, and he knew it just as well as every other thing. Every decision he ever made was like jumping headfirst into ice-cold water. Falling for Tony was like that, too. He leaped into this overwhelming affection the second he met him and he had yet to hit the ground fully. There was no telling if the fall was going to end softly or break him beyond repair. He didn't mind it all that much, though. Not when the feeling, once accepted, turned out to be so addictive.

He meant to enter the room quietly, but the door creaking ruined his plans.

"Rudy? What hour is it?" a whisper came from the bed, then a hand peeked out from under the covers and lit up what was probably a phone screen. "It's- five am? What are you doing awake?"

He looked at the human, who didn't seem to be fully awake, sitting up on the bed and blinking blearily at him.

"Couldn't really sleep, you know..." he explained half-heartedly, looking around as if the walls could answer him.

Tony blinked at him once again. Then proceeded to lay back down and raise the covers "no, I don't know. Get in here, we have a busy day tomorrow."

He fell back asleep the second Rudy slipped into the bed next to him. The vampire felt his heart tighten with fondness. He couldn't help but smile and brush some hair off his friend's forehead. If he wasn't sure by now that Tony's presence calmed him into a feeling of safety, then the fact that he finally fell unconscious as soon as he grabbed the mortal's warm hand proved it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family reunions that are not as dramatic as Rudolph expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! I've had this chapter written for a while now but couldn't bring myself to edit it
> 
> my new doctor decided to cut like half of the anti depressants i take, which sort of collided with failing important exam and general streak of bad luck... yikes, i know
> 
> anyway, since writing this is something i genuinely enjoy doing, I've done my best not to make it a chore (so it's still badly edited, oops)
> 
> now, done with complaining, enjoy and leave me your advice on how to improve my writing!!
> 
> ** would you prefer the next year (basically a cycle from the following summer etc) as a separate story in a series or just a new chapter?**

Later, he would wish that he made those last moments in San Diego more memorable since everything seemed to pass in a blur, lost in a sped-up haze. The whole time he felt oddly detached with only the feeling of Tony’s hand and the sound of his heartbeat somehow still grounding the vampire to reality. The fog surrounding his memories seemed to clear only sometime around reaching the  _ Bed and Bratwurst _ . Perhaps his mind tried to protect him from his own anxiety regarding confrontation with his family.

Were his parents expecting him? He didn’t recall informing them, but the door opened before he and Tony even got to reach it, revealing Anna who appeared to be already waiting for them.

The exact moment she caught sight of them, she stopped in her tracks, a surprised expression taking over her face and freezing there, only her eyes moving as she regarded his with the same horrid fascination they did when Gregory came back home for the first time. Feeling like a specimen under a magnifying glass, he pulled anxiously at the sleeve of his new jacket- the closest thing He and Tony could find to his previous one, which simply didn’t fit him anymore. He ditched the cape, though, since  _ someone _ claimed it was ridiculous.

Anna kept up the staring for a long minute, her gaze jumping in suspicion to Tony’s neck every once in a while as if looking for any bite marks. Saying that Rudolph started feeling very awkward would probably be a huge understatement. He had never considered that his family would assume he fed off  _ Tony  _ when they found out he drank human blood. That was… he just- no.

His sister, either oblivious to his discomfort or ignoring him, with the second option being more likely, nodded and turned to the door “father, Rudolph’s here!” That was it. After finally getting to age past thirteen, he was going to die a tragic death from embarrassment, boredom, and whatever else would follow the conversation with his parents.

Mother came through the door first, presenting an image of grace, with that regal poise that never failed to melt whenever she warmed up in the company of her children. He had missed her a lot.

She didn't pause like Anna did, but her mouth thinned into a disapproving line that made Rudolph's heart ache and scanned Tony’s neck with caution. He, of course, was aware that, at best, his family would be unhappy with him. Experiencing it was worse than he had anticipated, though.

Still, she didn’t hesitate to move closer and wrap her arms around him tightly, surrounding Rudolph with an overwhelming sense of  _ home,  _ although a different brand than he experienced with Tony. She was now slightly shorter than him, having to float up to reach his height. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t mind. Not as much as he thought he would. Just as she reluctantly let him go, as if he was going to leave again, his father appeared in the door. He didn’t look as furious as he did when Gregory came back for the first time, a tired disappointment settling in his tired expression easily. He had expected him to act out sooner or later. Even though he  _ did _ live up to this expectation, it still hurt.

“You’ve had a long journey, let’s talk inside,” mother said, moving away, yet still keeping her eyes trained on him the whole way to the hotel.Like she expected him to disappear, he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat that had swollen with guilt.

She wasn’t the only one staring at him. While Anna and father did their best to avoid looking at him, Tony was glancing at him with a worried expression every so often. It calmed him, a bit, the knowledge that he was there.

Entering the lounge, Tony stumbled over an ugly persian carpet, and Rudolph, out of habit, steadied him, without even pausing on his way in. “Do  _ try _ not to get injured here. I’m fairly sure that my family doesn’t have nearly enough medical supplies to accommodate your bad luck” he sighed, well used to the mortal tripping over his own legs by now.

"I thought you liked playing a nurse" Tony grinned at him, ridiculously proud of the, objectively bad, comeback. 

Rudolph was so gone for him, that's for sure. 

That didn't mean he wouldn't glare him into silence so that his friend didn't say anything particularly stupid with his family in the same room. Just because they liked him well enough last year- well, they probably wouldn't like him nearly as much after their son ran away from home to live with him. 

So, better to be safe than sorry, he decided as he pushed back a chair for Tony to sit on. His parents exchanged questioning looks and Anna smirked knowingly. Then, came the silence, awkward and thick with tension. It was probably because no one in the room wanted to trigger the storm by breaking the quiet before it.

  
  


He wondered for a second which one of them would be insane enough to do it and quickly realize that it was obvious.

Tony, seemingly fed up with everyone staring at him, got up. “Um... I’ll go to say hi to the owners and you know- let you have your family reunion. With me far away” he laughed nervously and dunked under Rudolph’s arm, then proceeding to dart through the door.

Perhaps it was foolish to hope the silence would settle over the room once again. Obviously, it didn’t.

“What were you  _ thinking, _ ” father’s voice thundered, a sign that the storm had started and wasn't going to stop anytime soon. "Didn't you learn from your brother's mistakes?!"

Mother frowned. "Love," she turned to Fredrick, soft shadow of a warning in her voice. She hated when their family fought. A shame they did so often. 

"No, Freda." He continued trying to glare Rudolph into obedience. "Do you have any hunters after you? How many people have you killed?!"

Rudolph took a deep breath, determined to keep his cool "none. For both of those questions. I haven't drank directly from human" the  _ yet _ left hanging in the air. "Mortals keep bagged blood in their hospitals. I've been getting it from there."

Although his explanation visibly threw his father off but, needless to say, Rudolph got his stubbornness after someone. 

“You put yourself at risk! Do you even know how dangerous it was? What if someone caught you?” 

It was a question that admittedly did pass through his mind a few times. That's why he knew the answer “Tony would have bailed me out.”

He didn’t say that just because. They discussed such eventuality and planned for it.

“He’s fourteen! How would he even- You can’t just make your life revolve around a mortal! You may have picked him over your family, but you have no reason to pick him over your life!” his father's yelling effortlessly broke the last bit of his resolve to stay calm. 

He didn't really register getting up and screaming “I love him!”

He heard his mother gasp softly in the background, from where she’s been quietly observing their discussion. She wasn’t expecting him to say that. Judging by the stricken expression, neither did his father. Anna seemed to be the only unsurprised one, but then again, she always had been the most observant in the family.

His confession tugged them harshly into the eye of the storm. He didn't know that the quiet could feel so violent, but it did, scratching at his insides and making them feel as if someone turned them inside out. 

But, to their credit, none of them tried to talk him out of it, to dismiss his feelings, saying he’s too young to know what love is. They obviously took his claim seriously. Perhaps they understood that if he was willing to leave the clan for a friend, there was no telling what he’d do now when there were actual feelings involved. 

“Are you going to turn him?” the quiet, unobtrusive voice of his mother grounded him, the most comforting pull of the gravity he could imagine. 

And that question rocketed around his head like a stray bullet. It would be a lie to say he had never thought about it. The idea was bound to come up sooner or later if you got attached to a mortal being. Anna would have turned a stray cat they found once, had their parents not stopped her.

“Only if he asks me to,” he responded, because, ultimately, it was not his choice to make.

(Though, if Tony ever did ask him to, he hoped it would be  _ after _ Rudolph stopped being haunted by Twilight flashbacks.) 

Both of his parents nodded, satisfied but unhappy with the answer "does- does he know?"

He shrugged "maybe? I didn't tell him. I don't plan to."

Anna was the one whose reaction he feared the most. She looked vaguely annoyed now. Rudolph had no idea whether she was serious about Tony last summer. He blinked back the memory of them almost kissing back then, in his aunt and uncle's crypt, when she put Tony under her spell. 

Barely sparing him a glance, she exited the room, head held high and an unbothered expression on her face. 

As most siblings did, they had a complicated relationship and this situation reminded him about it. It was hard to remember when exactly their rivalry started, but it seemed fitting that it translated into sharing a love interest as well. 

She seemed somewhat brighter, now. Maybe because with him and Gregory both gone, she had the spotlight all to herself, finally getting to be the hero. The main character of her own story. 

It somehow solidified the belief that his decision to leave was a right one and, also, pushed him to follow her out the door. She knew that he did, but didn't stop until she reached the roof, far away from the others. 

They sat for a while, staring at the familiar constellations when Anna finally decided to speak “You look happy” she commented, a hint of a bittersweet note in her tone.

He took a second to watch how she idly swung her legs back and forth. On some level, he hadn’t expected her to look the same, yet she did. He was the only one who really changed.

Even though he wasn’t away that long, being back home felt like stepping into a completely different time, travelling to the past. He wondered how it appeared from his family’s perspective.

After a second of thinking about an answer that wouldn’t give Anna any ammunition to make fun of him, he settled for the truth “I guess I am."

"You should tell him. You two are going to be good together. Already are."

This unwavering confidence in her voice surprised him, because it seemed that she really believed her own words. 

"Don't you like him too?" he choked out the question, dreading the answer even though his sister may have as well just given him her blessing. 

"He's cute, " she admitted easily, "but also head over heels for my brother and I don't really look for that in a guy."

And- he wasn't proud of it, but he had to take a minute to consider whether she meant him or Gregory, "you mean…?"

Unbothered by how he was too stunned to process anything properly, she got up "think about it.” Then, she proceeded to pat his head in such a condescending manner that any other time he wouldn’t let her get away with it.

However at that moment, he was lost in thoughts, only registering the action some time afterwards, when he caught sight of a familiar red hoodie near the barn (stables?) and his whole attention was instantly captured.

Maybe he could hold off the thinking until after Tony went home.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say goodbye and Tony is surprisingly wise for a fourteen year old boi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got two (equalivents of) A's for at-home assignments, so I got lazy and irresponsible and procrastinated by writing!!! Good for you! Hurray
> 
> It's un-betaed because I wanted to surprise my betas with it 
> 
> Also, in the next chapter, they'll be old enough for me to be writing actual romance happening! Hope you don't mind if I throw in some sexual tension?

Wherever Rudolph was, it was nowhere to be found, that's for sure. Chances were that he went somewhere to be emo in peace or planning another rebellious escape from home. Both options were equally likely to happen and Tony wasn't sure which he'd like better. 

He had pointed out that Rudolph should at least spend some time with his family before he packed up and left once again, but the vampire only said that he had spent three centuries with them and would spend twice as much too. It sounded a bit as if there was a deadline put on him, Tony thought (pun unintended, but accurate). 

The absence of someone you got used to constantly being there was somewhat disturbing. The motion of turning to tell them something and realizing they're not there was something he'd most likely catch himself doing several times through the following months but- they were sort of going to stay where they were forever, at this pace. 

It's not that things between them were bad- no, they were wonderful and that was the problem. Because when things are good, it's easy to fall into a status quo. 

His train of thought probably made very little sense, but it was mostly a gut feeling, that they needed this time to figure things out. He would be ready for the things to change between them by then. Or at least he hoped so. 

He stared blankly out of the window, at the snow-covered forest. It was pretty, like a postcard or a wallpaper someone didn't bother to change. There was nothing left to do but stare. Having almost missed the plane last summer because he had ultimately forgotten to pack taught him to take care of it earlier. If he really wanted, he probably could go hang out with Anna or even Betsy the cow, but honestly, their company didn't hold the appeal at the moment.

Bored as he was, he traced patterns and small doodles on the fogged glass. Sticky figures with overgrown fangs found their way from under his fingers onto the window. 

Just as he was finishing a rather abstract take on Betty's portrait, Rudolph's face, definitely too accurate and pretty to be anything he had drawn, appeared on the other side of the window. 

Bracing himself for the cold, Tony opened it, letting in not only the vampire but unfortunately, also the wind. 

"Nope, nope! Cancel, retreat-" he, quite literally, jumped out of the way of the breeze. 

Rudolph, the backstabbing bloodsucker, only laughed and closed the window behind himself, "it's not that cold, you know."

"I'm from California, any kind of cold is too cold for me," he grumbled, grabbing an old tartan blanket from the bed and wrapping himself tightly, so that he was no longer Tony, but a vaguely human-shaped blanket burrito. 

"You're going to suffocate like that" Rudolph pointed out and pulled the blanket off Tony's face. 

He squinted, "then I'm gonna die warm, that's better than hypothermia." 

The vampire grinned suspiciously, "if that's the case…" he picked Tony up, "then I guess I'll carry you into a coffin."

"Dragging someone to bed when they can't even move is very ungentlemanlike of you," he said even though he didn't mind being carried around all that much. 

You get used to being treated like a potato sack when your best friend has inhuman strength. And- if you tend to be a smartass often enough, you also get used to being dropped. 

At least this time the blanket softened the fall. Although he was thankful for that, he rolled out of it and seriously contemplated grabbing Rudolph's leg and dragging him to the floor. The vampire could, of course, lift them both up, but would probably humor Tony, because he was nice like that. 

He didn't get to decide on that, because Rudolph changed the subject.

"I told my parents that I'm leaving again next August," he said, landing softly on the bed. 

Tony climbed on the bed next to him, making the point of sitting as close as possible. "Thought you were gonna wait to do that until- you know, they cooled off?"

"Yeah, but you're leaving in like, an hour, and I thought-" he paused, looking sorta embarrassed out of sudden, "that if they were going to stop me, it'd be better if you'd know, right? So that you… well, so that you wouldn't worry if something went wrong."

That was awfully thoughtful of him and made Tony's heart swell with affection. He was right, though. If either of them couldn't make it in the summer, it was better to know that rather sooner than later, "well? How did they react?" 

"Better than I thought they would," Rudolph admitted. "Father said that trying to stop me would be pointless. Mother and Anna- nevermind, they just didn't protest."

It was good to know that his friend's family still liked him to some extent. They confirmed it soon after, when he was standing beside the taxi with his bag. 

Both Freda and Anna hugged him goodbye, the later leaning in and whispering in his ear "if you're not going to confess, he won't have the guts to do so either."

While he was far from actually doing that, after shaking Frederick's hand, he turned to Rudolph and kissed his cheek. 

"Until next summer, I guess" he blurted and ducked into the car, desperate to hide his burning blush. 

At least, as he was driving off, he still saw Rudolph stand motionless, with hand glued to his cheek and shock on his face. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven months passed, it's Rudolph's birthday once again! Also, Rudy istg keep it in your pants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's play a game of 'something bad happened so I wrote a chapter instead of indulging my unhealthy coping mechanisms!'
> 
> mostly unedited, since Rudolph is experiencing teenage horniness, the rating will also go up to teens
> 
> me to me: let the sexual tension begin!

Growing out of his party clothes was undoubtedly one of the biggest upsides of the whole aging business. He hated those and thank god that he still had some growing to do before Mother could whip out Gregory's old outfit. The one which he refused to wear for an even longer time than Rudolph did his. 

It was a funny thing, to actually be older than on his last birthday. If while in the US he would age at the same pace as the last time, he'd be around sixteen on his next birthday, he guessed. 

He sincerely hoped that this birthday party was going to be one of the smaller ones and, preferably, less eventful than last year's one. Really, the fewer vampires surrounded Tony the better. He'd have to keep a close eye on the human the whole time probably. Well, it's not as if he wasn't going to do so anyway, after seven months of separation. 

Seven months had never felt like such a long time, especially comparing them to literal centuries he lived through. 

Anna's voice cut through his thoughts. 

"What?" he looked up to face his sister, who was carrying a piled of neatly folded tablecloths. In his opinion, there was no point in them, since they'd be stained with blood within the first- meal. 

She rolled her eyes and repeated herself, "I said that you should stop brooding and hurry up, if you want to pick up your boyfriend from the airport. He messaged me that he'd be landing around midnight."

He didn't even bother correcting her about the boyfriend part at this point and mumbled a quick thanks. At least her newfound obsession with the twenty-first century's technology was somehow useful. 

A quick glance at the grandfather clock standing in the hall proved his sister right, unfortunately. If he didn't want to be late, he would have to a new past the guest that arrived at the hotel early. Once one of his aunts caught sight of him, he wouldn't be able to leave until well after tomorrow. Especially since they'd be actually able to use the look at how you've grown line this time. 

He had to admit that living at the hotel was pretty convenient, in comparison to the catacombs. It had quite a large amount of hiding places and rooms that his family hadn't discovered yet. Sneaking out was a child's play. 

Having decided that Anna most likely wouldn't rat him out yet, he slipped out of the nearest window and headed for the city. It was well lit up, visible from far away, and getting brighter the closer he got. Navigating the streets was a bit harder because he actually had to be careful not to be spotted. 

A two, maybe three streets away from the airport he landed and walked the rest of the way, just like he did with Gregory the first time ("humans would be suspicious if you just appeared out of nowhere, it would attract hunters" his brother said.) 

The area surrounding the airport was busy and loud, even this late at night. Though the plane engines grated his ears quite a bit, he enjoyed the atmosphere there. He rarely had an opportunity to be around so many people at once and- oh. 

He paused in admiring the lights. It sounded awfully twilight-like in his head, but he had to admit that out of all the hearts beating in the building, he easily and almost automatically picked out Tony's. He fought off the instant urge to just fly over to where the sound was coming from and did the next best thing, which was walking there. 

They ended up meeting each other halfway, Tony looking surprised for a split of a second, then a tired smile lighting up his face so bright that all of the airport’s paled in comparison. 

Almost dropping his travel bag on the way, the human ran over to him and threw himself at Rudolph, nearly sending them both to the floor. 

Warm hands clenched in the back of his shirt, more likely than not stretching it out. He didn't care though, too lost in the blissful feeling of peace that washed over him. 

"While I'd love to hug you more-" Tony mumbled into his neck, voice slightly deeper than Rudolph remembered, in a way that for some reason sent shivers down his spine, "I think I'm going to fall asleep if we stay like this."

Reluctantly, the vampire stepped away, scanning his eyes over the human, curious about anything that could change over the last few months. 

He, obviously, looked nice. Nice being an understatement. His cheeks lost some of their childish roundness, the jaw becoming more defined this way at where it connected with the gentle slope of Tony's neck. He caught himself before his eyes traveled to the sharp collar bones peeking from under the red shirt. 

And, as always, Tony was the closest thing to what he remembered of the sun. Bright, warm, and bringing life where there wasn't any. For some reason, this sunshine now also seemed to set Rudolph on fire, making him feel as if he was the one burning. It was not as much a foreign feeling- more of an extension to what he already felt, he supposed. 

His mind quickly supplied the feeling with its name. He mentally screamed at himself to play it cool, because he did not just indirectly refer to Tony as- as hot in his head. Cute? Sure. Breathtaking? Definitely. 

But hot? That one didn't have a place on his list of adjectives. Until now, apparently. 

Well, that was bound to happen sooner or later, he could deal with it. 

"Are we flying back or do you want to take a car?" he asked, taking Tony's baggage like a gentleman he was. That would count as courting in his times. 

Tony contemplated the answer for a while, "let's take a taxi if you don't mind being my pillow." He then grabbed Rudolph's hand (he had forgotten how well their hands fit together) and with visible weariness headed for the exit. 

When the taxi driver looked at them fondly and started telling him a story about how he and his wife had a long-distance relationship, Rudolph decided that no, he couldn't deal with it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> being an hour late and holding an unconscious human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One funeral later, schools getting closed down in my country and getting sick twice- here I am! Sorry that it's been so long, honestly, this chapter didn't feel right...
> 
> Well, I hope you don't mind.
> 
> Here are some pins explaining why I headcanon vampires appearing in newer mirrors and on photos:
> 
> https://pin.it/Oy7j2IU  
> https://pin.it/1M1OeM5
> 
> (unedited)

As expected, out of all the possible ways to make a memorable entrance, being an hour late and holding an unconscious human wasn't the best one- definitely an entertaining one, but probably not the best. Especially judging by his mother's face. What was he supposed to do, though? Leave Tony alone and asleep next to a bunch of partying vampires? 

As it was, he still would probably have to wake the human up soon. Partly because having at least one free hand would be useful and partly because explaining to his extended family that _ no, he didn't bring a snack  _ was getting tiresome. 

They probably thought they were so smart, connecting the dots that weren't even there- that is, him getting older and having a human around. Just because even his parents and Anna made an assumption that he fed on Tony didn't make it any less absurd. The sole idea made him tingly all over… from indignation,  _ of course!  _

And the explanation that his best friend wasn't here to act as an appetizer didn't stop some hungrier stares from all around them. Some of them made him protective, some made him feel offended on Tony's behalf. In more cases than not, the ogling made him simply jealous. 

"Yes,  _ Tatiana _ I am aware you think he smells delicious, now would you mind checking if you aren't somewhere else?" he hissed out at his second cousin twice removed, being the generous and hospitable host he was.

He huffed and glared at another one of his relatives, one with unremarkable features, whose name he could never recall. It was something Russian, like Victor or perhaps Dimitri. It was the younger ones he had to watch out for the most. His countless aunts and uncles pretended not to look and settled for discussing the novelty of a human amongst themselves. 

His cousins, however, the ones Gregory's age… 

"Seems like I'm stealing your thunder" Tony spoke up, startling him out of his thoughts. 

He almost dropped the human in surprise, "you're awake?"

"Oh, yeah." He carefully removed himself from the vampire, leaving them only joined at hands. "Have been for a while, but it was entertaining seeing you get annoyed with your guests."

And, honestly, knowing how light of a sleeper Tony was, Rudolph should have expected that. 

"I'm sorry for-"

The other grinned "no, no. It's funny hearing all about how I smell like a four-course meal, you never say anything like that." 

"Because I have basic respect for you?" Rudolph asked, thoroughly unimpressed with this train of thought. 

He was met with a triumphal finger to his chest "so you do notice those things!"

"I will never understand what goes on inside your little mortal brain" the vampire sighed heavily, not even bothering to conceal the underlying fondness. Why would Tony even be wondering about any of that remained foreign to him. 

"I would be boring, otherwise," Tony bumped their shoulders together and then tugged Rudolph in the direction of the stairs, where they could be both comfortable in their own elements simultaneously, on the ground and in the air. 

"As if, " he snorted, half leaning on the railing and scanning the room. "I was serious, though. Don't stay one on one with anyone you don't know here. Some of my family will see you like- like I see cows" he finished lamely, not really in the frame of mind to find the right metaphor. 

Tony gasped dramatically, putting a hand on his heart, "are you trying to say you don't love and cherish our beautiful daughter Betsy the cow?!" 

"Well, it's hard to. She inherited your looks after all." The teasing was the easiest thing in the world, and even after several months of a break, he settled into it like a puzzle piece. 

It was always funny to rile each other up and try to get a reaction. Even funnier how it was almost impossible to click so well with someone you never knew you needed. 

"Mind you, I'm the hottest person you know" he winked exaggeratedly before bursting into laughter. 

Even though it was a joke, Rudolph really couldn't agree more. Then again, to agree with something and to admit it out loud were two different things, so he only rolled his eyes, pretending to be exasperated. Hopefully, the party would end rather sooner than later and, preferably, without any hunters crashing it. Considering that Gregory seemed to still be doing his own thing away from the rest of the family, they were more or less safe.

He felt his mother’s watchful gaze on him- after his dramatic announcement last winter, she insisted on him and Tony occupying different rooms this year. It was both ridiculous and pointless since they’d share a room at Tony’s house once again. Well, and because they weren’t really like  _ that, _ regardless of Rudolph’s own feelings.

Feeling particularly petty, he looked her straight in the eyes and slid down from his spot on the railing to sit directly on the stairs next to Tony. She let out a heavy sigh and looked away, but Rudolph was already too busy to pay attention to that because Tony automatically leaned into him as soon as he sat down. It seemed to be something effortless and Rudolph almost felt his heart come alive once again.

Hesitantly, he put his arm around the human and with satisfaction noted that some of his cousins stopped in their tracks. Tony glanced at them briefly before pulling out his phone. To be honest, he half expected the human to be more interested, maybe excited by even more vampires ‘his age’. His friend, however, seemed to be perfectly content right where he was. 

“I forgot to text mom after landing” he muttered, lighting up the device which proudly displayed a photo of the two of them to the world. Rudolph remembered it being taken the day they discovered that Tony’s theory about modern mirrors was true. The human was grinning and Rudolph himself looked slightly confused, staring at his friend instead of at the camera. “Oh crap, she called me a few times- I’ll be right back!”

His friend got up to run upstairs, where it was quieter. Rudolph mourned the missing warmth for a while, before getting distracted by the front door opening. It would be nothing unusual if not for the sound of his brother's voice, who he assumed was somewhere away- maybe in Canada or Alaska. 

After making sure that no one was too interested in looking for Tony, he went to investigate Gregory’s unexpected arrival.


	11. PLEASE READ NOTES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the author suffered while writing this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT HAPPENED   
> i'm suffering as much as you do
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT (nothing too graphic, but still)

(if you didn't, please read note ^)  
Out of all the things awkward and somewhat mortifying, a transition from best friends to something more was pretty high up in the ranking. Maybe even in the top ten. After all, it's almost like walking on a minefield, crossing the lines that were blurry in the first place or hadn't existed. Tony personally thought that he was doing a pretty good job of it if you overlooked that he still hadn't let Rudolph know that such a thing was happening. 

From the logical side of things, he knew he probably wasn't going to get rejected. After all, it wasn’t all that hard to notice that the vampire looked at him like he wanted to jump Tony’s bones (and, oh boy, wasn’t that an interesting thing to imagine for a teenager with a crush), but hasn’t quite come to terms with it yet. 

So, yeah, there was like ninety eight percent of guarantee that his best friend liked him back. Yet, the remaining two kept him waiting- there were only so many first moves he could do when it came to Rudolph. Maybe it was petty of him, but this one time he felt like waiting for them to meet in the middle. He almost could see Anna’s judgemental expression every time he thought about that, but he was nothing if not stubborn. 

He sighed, putting down his phone. There was some kind of commotion downstairs, that he had obviously missed while calling his mom. Chances were that Rudolph was just being dramatic, but he wasn’t quite sure that was the case. A chill ran down his back, causing goosebumps accompanied by a distinct feeling of being watched. All his instincts were screaming at him, red flags waving around his brain- something was wrong. He turned around, glancing in the direction of the stairs, only to curse upon finding that Rudolph obviously wasn’t where he had left him.

The closest door was at least a few feet away from him, maybe two or three steps. He was under no illusions, some of the party guests weren’t necessarily as friendly to humans as Rudolphs closest family was. After all, he had spent half of the night being called a snack. He doubted that they were too bothered with the proper etiquette, and well, not eating their host’s friend.

His situation went from somewhat not good to straight-up bad pretty quickly, as he found himself pinned to the wall. Faced with eyes that sparkled with mirth, he couldn’t help but think that they were a completely wrong shade of red, too cold, too dark and too different from- yeah, he didn’t get to finish that thought. Saving his ass first, being a lovesick teenager later. With the whole supernatural strength Tony was currently subjected too, it was easy to guess that the attacker was obviously a vampire, although unfamiliar one. And, honestly, identifying him wouldn’t really make Tony’s circumstances all that better. He distantly thought that he was too young to die.

As if reading his mind, the vampire spoke up, voice low, smooth and somehow still making the boy feel as if someone scraped their nails over a blackboard. 

“Oh, don't worry, I won't kill you… Poor Rudy seems way too attached.” He leaned in, dragging his tongue over Tony's neck, visibly relishing in the way the human struggled against him. "Shame on him, for wasting having such a pretty little thing at his disposal… I bet you would do whatever he asked you to, as well."

Frankly, whatever else his attacker had to say, the teenager didn't want to hear it. "Get off me, you creep!" Quite desperately, he aimed a kick at the vampire’s groin, which only resulted but the grip on his wrist to tighten enough to cause future bruising. He yelped, partly at the pain and partly because now his hips were trapped between his assaulter’s legs, who only shot him a predatory smile.

Then, apparently fed up with Tony's cussing him out (admittedly not a smart decision on his part), he came even closer, capturing boy's bottom lip with his teeth, immediately drawing blood. It was the closest thing he ever had to a kiss and it was definitely not with a person he intended it to be. His stomach twisted. The pressure on his wrists stopped and for a moment, he thought he was let free. Then as quickly as this hope arose, it was crushed by one hand on his throat and other playing with the bottom of his shirt. 

Barely seconds passed, though and he landed on the floor, coppery taste in his mouth and multiple voices shouting around him. He thought that he heard some fighting, a loud thud and even more screaming, but he didn’t take part in whatever was happening. He felt like he was underwater, which seemed ridiculous, he was at the castle, right? Why were his lungs so heavy then?

He drew a shaky breath and blinked several times, doing his best to snap out of whatever haze he was in. It worked halfway, a good enough job to somewhat register the image of the creep that attacked him on the floor and someone (Gregory?) holding violently trashing Rudolph back, “I will… -ill him!”

A female voice, silky, soft and familiar spoke up, only chopped parts of the sentences reaching him through the fog in his mind, “that’s not important… Tony…. now.” 

Surprisingly, his best friend went limp in his brother’s arms and after a second was let go. In lighting speed, Tony was confronted with a pair of red eyes. He initially flinched, before registering that they were a right shade and felt a bit safer. Rudolph hesitantly extended his arms in his direction and, although Tony wasn’t quite sure he was alright with touching at the moment, he still slumped forward, relaxing into the familiarity. 

Some time had passed, for sure, because voices around them quieted and he could finally focus. He took a deep breath and involuntarily started shaking as his body and his mind started catching up with each other. 

“Can we go somewhere else?” he asked, voice croaking. Without waiting for an answer he got up, standing on shaky legs and making a show of dusting himself off. “You said that you found this new spot in the woods.”

Rudolph, as expected saw right through him. But still, with a mouth set into a thin line, he extended his hand for Tony to take, scraped knuckles already beginning to heal.

There were no guests in the castle the following night, yet his best friend refused to let him out of his sight.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cuteness mah dudes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting translated oh my wbsuwabdxlsamncibsc  
> Link: https://ficbook.net/readfic/10040702
> 
> Also, my tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lavieentrash
> 
> I hope I dealt with the aftermath of the last chapter well enough

The concept of his best friend’s fragility  _ really  _ hit him for the first time only after they defeated Rookery. It felt as if much more time had passed since then than it really did, but Rudolph could still recall how Tony was covered in bruises and scratches afterwards. Later, maybe in early October, the exact time didn't matter– Tony was busy ranting about some teacher and walked into a closed door. It was quite funny, at least at the moment and Rudolph remembered clearly that he almost fell off his friend's bed because he was laughing so hard. The memory was closely followed by one of the human walking around with a nasty bruise on his cheek for at least a week after the incident. Any accident after that,(which was admittedly a lot, because either humans were clumsy in general, or just  _ his _ was) did a good job in making his insides twist and turn. 

Having said that, it was nothing compared to the complete helplessness he felt every time he saw every shade of black blue and purple painted on Tony's neck and wrists. Because, most of the time, he couldn’t do anything about accidents, but it was his fault that he didn’t protect him from- from getting assaulted. The cruel masterpiece of bruises in a shape of fingers followed him into his dreams, tormenting him with lifeless bodies covered in violet fingerprints. 

He almost hit his head on the lid of his coffin when waking up, taking several heavy breaths he didn’t need to calm himself. Which didn’t help as much as he hoped for, but it was to be expected. He reached out with his hearing, trying to find Tony’s heartbeat and momentarily panicked, because it definitely wasn’t in the room next to his, but instead in the corridor. If there was a record in which someone could get out of a coffin and reach the door- he beat it and set an unbeatable one in its place.

Tony, apparently was safe and standing in front of his door, a blanket draped over his shoulders like a cape, “did I wake you up?” 

“You’re not asleep,” he responded dumbly instead. An astute observation, he thought, facepalming internally. Instead of staring at his friend, he focused on the ray of the sunshine sneaking through the crack in between the curtains. It was probably around noon, none of the other vampires would be awake for a while. 

In the corner of his eye, he saw Tony shrug, the whole blanket following the movement of his shoulders. "I don't wanna sleep alone tonight," the human mumbled, staring at Rudolph as if the vampire was the answer to all of his problems and questions. 

Rudolph felt as if he was picked apart and left defenceless. He took a moment to pull himself together, "your room? I don't have a bed in mine-" he stumbled through the words awkwardly, extending his hand and waiting for Tony to grab it. 

After last night, he felt like he shouldn't even take Tony's hand without asking. Whether his best friend noticed the meaning of the gesture, he accepted it and without any hesitation whatsoever, which- yeah, which Rudolph was happier about than he cared to admit. 

The bed in Tony's room was unmade, but not really in a way that indicated someone sleeping in it. More like that someone tossing and turning restlessly for hours, which was probably what happened. The human proceeded to hop on it, the impact causing him to bounce off slightly. Normally it'd be a sight toeing the line between ridiculous and adorable, but now Rudolph felt a bit too out of his element, too preoccupied with not crossing any lines that may have appeared. 

Apparently Tony found his uncertain hovering unacceptable because he patted the mattress impatiently. 

"Rudolph, Rudy, the vampire friend of mine-" he started, "will you please get your undead butt here or do I need to send you a formal invitation? I will if I have to. You know I will."

That would be incredibly petty and hilarious, something he didn't doubt for a second Tony was capable of. After that he didn't waste any more time and got in the bed, making a move as if he was going to hog the covers. It earned him a playful glare. It was familiar, it was good. 

Still, there were things that probably shouldn't be left unsaid, for the sake of his sanity. 

"I was scared you'd want to leave and never see me again," he said and dropped to lay on his back, having decided that staring at the ceiling was preferable to seeing Tony's reaction. "You'd have had every right to do so."

Tony pinched him in the arm. "Don't be stupid. You're different. I trust you."

"Maybe you shouldn't-" he started, because in the end, it was  _ his _ fault Tony was in danger in the first place. Then, in a split of a second, there was a wrist in front of his face, the sound of the rushing blood and- "what are you doing?"

"See, you could have bitten me just now and you didn't. I mean, I literally bled all over you last Halloween and you controlled yourself, so yeah. I trust you," the mortal said, resting his hand on the other side of Rudolph's head so that the vampire was forced to look at him. 

And he was definitely enjoying the position way too much. Ten out of ten, wonderful, he could stay like that forever. 

"I'm sorry I left you alone, though," he said because even Tony would have to accept that. 

His best friend looked like he wanted to object once again but ultimately seemed to think better of it. Maybe he realized that Rudolph needed some closure about what happened too, even if he wasn't the victim. Finally, he nodded and laid down, using Rudolph's arm as his pillow.

"It's alright. I'll be alright-" he started. "I mean, I'm never ever taking part in any of your family gatherings. I hope you know that."

"Never ever," Rudolph confirmed, settling into a slightly more comfortable position. He was going to say something, he wasn't sure what, but it seemed like exhaustion has finally caught up to Tony. 

His heartbeat slowed down and he looked so at peace, that Rudolph swallowed any words that might have been making their way up his throat. 

Was there ever coming back from what he felt? Everything about him was permanent, after all, that's what immortality was about. Maybe once he fell in love, it would last forever as well? On one hand, he was a teenager- on the other he was three hundred. Which side of him did those feelings belong to? 


	13. filler, once again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pure chaos, things just happen  
> kinda filler?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so???? This is pure chaos so many unconnected things happen? But it be like this sometimes when you're a teenager?
> 
> Idk, it's trash please don't hate me
> 
> Also, once again I'm asking if you don't mind if I get more idk physical with the whole thing?   
> I don't think I'll be doing smut (unless as an other story/bonus), but sexual attraction IS a big part of teenage crushes ig?   
> (I mean I'm a teenager, I would know)

One thing should be made crystal clear. Waking up was an awkward feat for a teenage boy even without an additional body in his bed. That was a well known fact. And yet, gods for some reason had mercy on Rudolph and decided to spare him the most mortifying moments of his entire existence. 

At least that's what he had thought when every embarrassing moment was easily avoided while he and Tony shared a bed every day in Germany. How could he know that it was only to lure him into a false sense of safety so that his ultimate demise was even more entertaining to heavens? 

They've slept in, having arrived just before sunrise, both exhausted beyond comprehension. It felt natural to just stumble into bed and fall asleep in the tangle of limbs. Covers forgotten somewhere on the floor. 

And they definitely woke up way too soon, probably before noon (he could just  _ hear  _ the sunlight laughing at him.  _ Disgusting _ .), to the sound of Tony's ringtone echoing around the room. It was noisy and somehow warped- apparently had been this way since Tony dropped it into the sink while he was washing dishes. 

Against better judgement, they both chose to ignore it. Rudolph blinked at the ceiling, still a bit woozy from way too little sleep. He was gradually gathering some awareness of his surroundings. They, unfortunately, included quite visible… problem going on in his pants. Since Tony had his back turned to him and seemed to be set on going back to sleep, he felt that he had a pretty good chance to run away from the  _ issue _ . 

Then the phone called again and Tony groaned next to him, reaching for the phone over the vampire's shoulder and- well, apparently Rudolph wasn't alone in his problem. He  _ really _ didn't need to know that. As in, the knowledge would take away his peace of mind and haunt his mind at many inconvenient moments. He was sure of it. 

"Mom?" apparently, the caller had been Dottie. Rudolph tuned out the conversation and alternated between eyeing the door with longing and considering whether smothering himself with a pillow would be worth it. "Alright, I'm putting you on the… oh- no, it's nothing I'm putting you on the speaker."

Rudolph could pinpoint the exact moment Tony had realized the situation they were in because the mortal went bright red and his eyes widened comically. Also, he frantically grabbed a pillow and put it in his lap. 

"Hello, boys!" Dottie's voice came from the speaker. "I just wanted to say that I left you two pancakes on the counter. Ah, right, and I unfroze some blood we had left from the last time Rudy was here, it should be on the second shelf in the fridge. Do you need anything from the store?" 

Tony cleared his throat awkwardly "um, no. I think we- uh, we got everything, mom."

"Alright, I should be home around five. Don't burn the house down!" she added cheerfully. 

"... I'll keep an eye on him," Rudolph choked out, wanting nothing more than for this conversation to just  _ end _ . 

It did, eventually, after Tony's mom chatted on for a bit. And somehow the situation got worse. With no buffer, a distraction, whatever it should be called- there was nothing they could do to ignore their awkward circumstances. Really, Rudolph would give a lot to erase from his mind the fact that Tony's blood smells different when he's… Thinking about that wasn't doing him any good, that's for sure. 

"How about I just leave the room and when I come back, we never talk about this ever again," the human spoke up, voice strangled in a way that somehow made everything ten thousand times worse for Rudolph. 

Maybe it wouldn't be weird if they didn't _ make  _ it weird, he thought as he exited the door to the downstairs bathroom. Soon after that, the water stopped running upstairs as well. 

He squinted at the pancakes that indeed were waiting for them. If they even were pancakes, because he couldn't be sure. Apparently, Dottie's cooking wasn't anything to write home about. Not that he could speak from experience. Hopefully, he never would.

Eating mortal food was for him like drinking milk for a lactose intolerant person. Unpleasant in consequences. He'd just stick with blood, even if the one in the fridge was cold and tasted of plastic from being bagged for too long. Though, cold blood from a human still tasted somewhat better than a warm one from a cow. 

It seemed like he'd have to restock, preferably rather sooner than later. He would manage another week, maybe two. He didn't really like stealing from a blood bank, but it was way better than taking it straight from the source. Besides, he disliked not getting older more. It seemed only rational to pick the lesser evil and not fall too far behind Tony in the ageing field. 

"On a scale from one to ten, how edible those pancakes seem to be?" Tony appeared in the kitchen, wincing once he noticed the abomination of a breakfast. Rudolph watched as he started making himself a sandwich instead. “Nevermind, don’t answer that, it’s probably in the negatives.”

He was almost impressed with how easily everything went back to normal- not only after the morning but also in the terms of settling back into their routine, the one they established last year. The only difference was Tony being more… touchy. 

As in, his friend was already a very tactile and affectionate person to begin with (which definitely took some getting used to), but now he was taking it to a completely new level. If Rudolph didn’t know better, he’d say that Tony was actively seeking opportunities to initiate contact. He would link their arms even as they were sitting and decided that making the vampire his personal pillow all the time was his new hobby. And Rudolph couldn’t find it in himself to complain, even if it was driving him insane. 

He sighed and nudged Tony, who was leaning into him and- “you know that you have to stay awake to eat, right?” he asked. “Hey, earth to the mortal! Seriously, if you want to sleep at least put the plate down. I’m not cleaning up if it breaks.”

Really, he could swear the human was doing it on purpose.

“No, I don’t wanna move,” Tony whined, but he did end up putting the plate on a counter behind him. “I’ll be a sleep deprived zombie and it’s gonna be your fault.”

“You literally woke up like half an hour ago,” he countered because he knew as a matter of fact that Tony could function on less sleep than that. “Come on, if you’re trying to be annoying, you’re not doing a very good job.”

Tony poked him in the stomach and grinned, even though he didn’t get any reaction beyond an unimpressed stare, “you only say that, but you can’t be patient forever."

He picked the human up and threw him over his shoulder. “ Do you have  _ any _ self-preservation instinct?”

“Not really. Are you going to put me down? Not that I mind chilling upside down, but I-” he started and Rudolph loosened his grip a little. ”Wait no, don’t drop me! What are you laughing at, it’s not funny.” 

Finally, he put his friend down on the couch, “it  _ is _ a little funny.”

Tony threw a pillow at him, which not only missed the intended target but also almost hit the TV, “is not.” Then he proceeded to pout at Rudolph, which didn’t do much except make the vampire laugh even harder.

Maybe the gods, fate or whoever operated the world actually liked him after all. When he got turned, what was the chance he’d get to have this? Good things didn’t happen just like that, without a catch. 

  
He’d send a fruit basket with a  _ thank you  _ note if he knew who to address it to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *enjoys a fruit basket from Rudy*


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes at the end today!  
> Enjoy!

It is worth a mention that most bad ideas have one certain thing in common. They start with boredom- an unholy weakness of any sentient mind, that wrecks chaos over the world. That's why bad ideas are generally  _ fun _ . And Tony, once blessed (or cursed, depends on who you asked) with such an idea- he couldn't simply let go. It was stuck in his brain. Really, it was better to just go along with whatever his boredom demanded of him. 

"Okay, I just want you to know that this is unacceptable and we must fix your lack of life experience immediately," he brushed off Rudolph's eyeroll. He knew that the vampire would have a hard time saying  _ no _ to him anyway. 

Rudolph looked down at him, which frankly was quite annoying because they were both standing on the ground, "I'm a vampire if you haven't realized by now- going to the beach is kinda counterproductive."

"That's why we're going at night," he reminded, ready to defend his point. Seriously, if he'd known sooner that Rudy hadn't been to the beach since getting turned, he'd drag him there way sooner. Both Romania  _ and _ Germany had beaches, anyone with a map could tell this. 

He debated whether the picnic blanket was worth going downstairs and possibly waking his parents up. Ultimately, he decided against it. If there was someone capable of stopping him, it was his mom. 

Rudolph was obviously caving in, already convinced but refusing just out of sheer stubbornness, "we are not going to the beach-"

"Okay,  _ we  _ are not," Tony confirmed, a grin spreading over his face. He opened the window and started climbing out of it, for the first time appreciating just how _ convenient _ flying really was. "I am going- Alone. In the middle of the night, without a strong vampire to protect me…"

Needless to say, the vampire agreed. He even seemed somewhat excited at the prospect. Tony couldn't relate more since, well, there's only so much you can do at home. And as the sun was dead set on murdering Rudolph, sneaking out at night was the only option here. 

He chose one of the most secluded parts of the coastline. This one was somewhat desolated even during the day due to being hard to reach. If any other teenagers decided to sneak out to swim on a school night, they weren't very likely to choose this specific part of the beach. At least  _ he _ wouldn't if he didn't have an option to just fly over to it 

The beach was pretty, obviously, with how serene it seemed, the night sky reflecting in the water. Tony lived in San Diego his whole life, though- it wasn't much of a novelty. So he settled for watching Rudolph's reaction, who seemed absolutely enchanted with the view. He was looking around, mouth half open and eyes reflected by the lights of the City behind them. 

At this time of the year, the water probably was already somewhat chilly, especially not this late at night, but it should still be warm enough. 

He unceremoniously stepped towards the water and started pulling off his shirt, grinning to himself once he heard Rudolph sputtering behind him.

"You're going swimming?" the vampire asked dubiously, looking like he was keeping aneurysm at bay with a sheer force of will. 

Tony looked at him from where he was already ankle-deep in the water, trying to hide his wince. It was a little bit colder than he had anticipated. 

"Did you expect a romantic walk in the moonlight with a chaperone?" he asked, smirking playfully and waiting for the vampire to take the bait. "We can do it later, Jane Austen."

Rudolph sent him a glare and, muttering something about the quality of her novels, he shook off his leather jacket. The shirt underneath soon joined it on the sand. Tony took a moment to admire the smooth, unblemished skin stretching over his friend's slender frame. 

Just as the vampire got close enough, he splashed him, relishing in the look of pure betrayal. It was a shame that Rudolph, for all he seemed to enjoy the warmth, was never really bothered by lower temperatures. 

"That was so unnecessary," his friend muttered, quick to retaliate, using not only his supernatural strength but also speed. It was literally a definition of cheating, but Tony was no loser. Well, if there could be a winner in the splashing war since in the end, they'd both end up soaked through anyway.

He dived underwater, thankful for all the summers he spent swimming because opening his eyes underwater was essential if he wanted his plan to work. Though, he was out of practice, because they stung quite a bit regardless of how much practice he had. 

Rudolph seemed to be confused, apparently having lost sight of him. He had this specific expression on, the one he had when he tried to pinpoint Tony's heartbeat. He was never particularly sneaky about it. 

Not wanting to go up for a breath, he swam as close to Rudy as possible without being detected- if he used the element of surprise well, he wouldn't need too much strength. 

He extended his hands and pulled on the vampire's leg, making the other teenager go toppling into the water with a huge splash. Proud of himself, Tony resurfaced, laughter bubbling in his throat once he saw Rudolph's expression. 

Knowing well that he'd be picked up and thrown into the water as soon as his friend gathered himself, he moved only just a little  _ bit _ closer than it should be appropriate and grinned, hoping to seem obnoxious. 

The reaction was even better than he expected, some spare blood rushing to Rudolph's cheeks and coloring them dark violet. In hindsight, though, he realized he didn't think this through well enough. 

Because  _ maybe  _ he should have anticipated that he'd be affected by the close proximity as well. 

How could he not, when Rudolph's eyes darkened and- yep, that was definitely him glancing at Tony's lips, great. He felt his heartbeat quicken, race from his chest to his throat and the vampire could definitely hear that. 

Then, he felt- oh  _ no,  _ "I think I'm gonna sneeze-"

And that's why going out to swim at night, mid-October was a bad idea. He was definitely going to be sick tomorrow… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... actually, this chapter wasn't meant to happen? But I needed a lead up to Tony sneezing (no matter how ridiculous that sounds) and it just kind of got away from me?? gained its own consciousness??? something like that
> 
> I actually consulted 14-15 year old boys about what they'd do if they sneaked out. Apparently, they wouldn't because staying in and playing games is better. I can relate.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's happening everybody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeellloo, gosh I'm so excited
> 
> Apparently, pneumonia has been named, discovered etc. over a century after Rudolph was turned, but let's- let's just maybe ignore that (and you can't catch pneumonia this fast, I'm bullshitting it for the plot, Charlie)
> 
> Fever Tony is based on how I behave when sick, 38 degrees Celcius and I actually start talking to the pillows  
> (which is funny because I'm more coherent after like half a liter of vodka, but that may be just my awesome slav genetics)

Some might be surprised, maybe even disturbed, in a way, by the existence of vampires. It should be noted, though, that there are creatures far more confusing, far more powerful. Mythical beings that have an impeccable sixth sense and are walking lie detectors. Mothers.

Keeping that in mind, sneaking back in wasn't going to do them any good. At least not with Dottie waiting by the kitchen table, coffee in one hand and some trashy romance novel in the other. She didn't look all that angry, or even annoyed, so they had a fair chance of surviving the encounter. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be caught between amusement and fond exasperation, which confused Rudolph to no end.

"Good morning, boys," she said in a casual tone as if the situation was perfectly normal to her. "Did you have fun on your date?"

For a second, Rudolph wondered whether it was a trap, some intricate plan to lull them into a false sense of security. Adults were like that, after all. Tony, on the other hand, seemed to either not notice or just plainly ignore the _date_ statement. He only shivered, quite pitifully, under Rudolph's jacket. He looked almost paler than the vampire did, a somewhat worrying thing to achieve.

"You're not mad?" He asked.

Dottie raised her eyebrow and put the book down, "I house two teenagers, one of whom can fly." The pause would be nervewracking, if not for the amusement in her eyes. "I'm mostly impressed that it's the first time you two sneaked out."

His best friend squinted at his mother, "how do you know it was the first time?"

"We have a security system, sweetheart," she sighed at the cough that answered her and came closer to Tony, cupping her hand over his forehead, "you're burning up-"

Rudolph, who had already been pretty worried, was now like ten seconds from panic. The mortal had been shivering the whole way home, losing his balance in the air several times, yet claiming that nothing was wrong.

"I'm fine," he sniffed and wrapped himself tighter in the vampire's jacket, curling on himself as his body shook with cough once again.

The fate, as always fond of testing whether Rudolph was physically capable of having a heart attack, decided to prove Tony wrong. The human blinked a few times and then promptly collapsed into the nearest wall.

Dottie, somehow, kept the situation under control, even though it seemed like an impossible thing to do. She wasted no time, soon employing Rudolph's help in getting her son into bed. In what could be only considered the speed of light, she had Tony under several blankets and a cup of ginger tea laying on his bedside. And, with this whole chaos going on, she still managed to sit Rudolph down and push a bag of microwaved blood into his hands.

"He's always like that when he gets sick," she explained, reading the cover of some medicine that carried a faint artificial scent of strawberries. "It's probably just a cold, pneumonia in the worst case-" she trailed off.

Rudolph felt something clench at his inside, a freezing cold panic rising up his throat, "pneumonia?" he asked anxiously. When he was human, people died from that all the time. 

"Maybe," she nodded absently to herself and proceeded to pick up another shiny package of what he assumed was medicine as well, "I doubt it, though. He just doesn't handle fever well, he never did."

It didn't do much to crush worry and fear gnawing on his stomach, but he did feel some relief at the fact that Dottie dealt with Tony being sick before. After all, that meant he survived any past illness just fine. 

"So he'll be alright?" he still wished for some kind of verbal confirmation.

The woman finally noticed how stressed he really was because of the situation and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Of course he will," she reassured. "Just keep an eye on him while Bob and I are working and he'll be up and kicking in no time."

There was no reason not to trust her on that, so he only agreed dumbly and sat next to Tony's bed, listening to his friend’s steady breathing as he slept. At some point, when the shuffling downstairs stopped, indicating that Tony's parents were out, he flew back to the kitchen. Determined to find something to do, he put the water on the stove and opened the cupboard where he knew Thompsons kept tea. Then, he turned at the sound of quiet footsteps.

"Hi," Tony watched him make tea with somewhat glassy eyes, probably not fully there due to high fever. "Where's mom?"

"At work- you shouldn't be out of bed," he muttered, comparing different herbal tea mixes. 

"I was bored. And I missed you" the human whined. It caught Rudolph's attention. Just how high was his fever? Dottie said to give him the pills from the purple package if it was higher than 102°F.

He eyed the glass thermometer laying on the counter- "You saw me two hours ago," he pointed out. 

"But I always miss you," he said, hell-bent on killing Rudolph. Then he smiled dopily, letting the vampire take his temperature without any complaints, even going as far as to lean in a bit. He did, however, have a weird look on his face that Rudolph couldn't quite place. It reminded him a bit of how he looked under some of Anna's spells. "Wow, you're so pretty…"

He choked, tempted to take _his own_ temperature for a second, because his face felt so hot- There was no way that he heard what he thought he heard. Tony, oblivious to the internal conflict he had caused, was swaying back and forth on his feet, so obviously out of it that it wasn't even funny. 

Rudolph gathered himself together just in time to steady the human, who was getting dangerously close to falling over for the second time that day. "Let's get you to bed," he said, more to himself than to the feverish teenager. 

It became apparent very soon that, although Tony somehow dragged himself back to the kitchen, the trek back to bed definitely exceeded his current capacity. Rudy might have as well been carrying a bag of potatoes if he was honest. He made a mental note to mention it to the human once he got better. 

"I'm cold," Tony complained, even after Rudolph wrestled him under the covers. Then proceeded to cough so hard that it seemed as if he'd spit out his own lungs any moment now. 

Once again worried, Rudolph sat down next to him and started rubbing circles into the human's back until the cough stopped. "I'm going to get that tea, alright?"

"What? No," Tony grabbed his hand, surprisingly strong for someone who couldn't stand straight at the moment. "Get in here," he scooted over, making a place for Rudolph in his bed. 

"You won't get better just with my company, you know," the vampire countered teasingly. Then he _did_ get under the covers next to his best friend, who immediately snuggled up to him. 

It was unbearably adorable, making Rudolph's heart swell with affection. If he found the human attractive even with a runny nose, face flushed from the fever, and hair sticking out in every direction- it couldn't be anything but love. 

"I like it when you look at me like that," Tony mumbled sleepily after a long moment, that could have been ten minutes or an hour, taking Rudolph's hand and playing with his fingers. "It's nice, you're nice."

Rudolph thought back to the look Tony gave him last night. He felt almost as if he had all the puzzle pieces but was missing the full picture. It was quite difficult, putting them together when he didn't know what they were supposed to look like. 

Taking care of the mortal was not as hard as he had originally anticipated. Tony, for the most part, turned out to be quite docile when sick, except for occasional complaints about the cold or a headache (and a few temper tantrums that occurred every time his personal pillow needed to get up). He’d also ask the weirdest questions, talk to himself, or randomly throw compliments at Rudolph. All of which usually happened out of context.

Somehow every time Rudolph went out of the room while Tony was asleep, he came back to find him awake. And more often than not, rather unhappy about being left alone.

“How are you feeling?” The vampire asked, sitting down. He started to idly stroke Tony's hair, getting it even more messed up in the process. He wasn't quite sure whether he was doing it for his or for the human’s sake.

His best friend briefly glanced at him, before resuming glaring at his own fingers. "I can feel every single one of my bones. Even where I don’t have any bones," he said in morbid fascination.

And, at this point, it didn't even faze him anymore. It was like he finished one-day nursing school. That's why he only moved to get up, "I'll go get you some medicine."

Tony, of course, wasn't a fan of that idea-“No, don’t go!” Any idea that included Rudolph leaving the room seemed to be a bad one to the teenager while he was like this. 

On one hand, it was really touching that he wanted the vampire with him at his most vulnerable moments. On the other, it was certainly making the whole taking care of him thing way more complicated than necessary. Thus, Rudolph was forced to use the last ace up his sleeve. Bribery.

"Let's make a deal. You let me go downstairs without a fuss and I'll watch with you the worst vampire movie you can find." He observed mortal's reaction carefully, waiting for the moment he caved in- Tony, however, was just staring at him with wide eyes and an expression akin to awe, "what? Why are you staring at me like that?"

His best friend blinked very slowly, a dreamy smile finding its way onto his face, "whoa... I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it happened everyone sdmlkvcdszvbmdzskjvckzxcjbal


End file.
